Queen Elizabeth responds to Meghan and Harry Oprah interview claims
A statement issued by Buckingham Palace said the Queen was "concerned" and "saddened" by the revelations from the couple in the interview on Sunday night.
Queen Elizabeth has broken the British Royal Family’s silence over the explosive claims made in an interview with Oprah Winfrey by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, which was broadcast on Sunday night.
Queen issues short statement on Harry and Meghan interview
The Queen released a short statement on Tuesday evening UK time, saying: “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.
The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.
“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”
Queen statement comes after two days of crisis talks
The statement from Buckingham Palace is the result of two days of talks between royals and officials, as they attempted to work out how to approach the revelations in the interview, of which they had been given no prior warning.
Among the claims made in the interview, was that a member of the royal family had had conversations and raised concerns with Harry over how dark-skinned the couple’s son Archie would be. Neither Harry nor Meghan would say who the senior royal was, although the Duke of Sussex told Oprah Winfrey off camera that it had not been the Queen or Prince Philip. There was intense speculation after the interview that it had been the latter.
Talking of life in the palace, Meghan said she “didn’t want to be alive any more” and in response to whether she had contemplated suicide, she said: “Yes, this was very, very clear, and very scary.” The Duchess said she had asked for help but this had been denied by palace officials.